


Keep Me Warm

by zhiantara



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25385395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhiantara/pseuds/zhiantara
Summary: Kyo deals with a freezing winter evening, a warm bath, and a girlfriend who can't quite relax. (Post-manga, pure, shameless fluff.)
Relationships: Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou
Comments: 21
Kudos: 177





	Keep Me Warm

Kyo bounded up the steps leading towards the apartment he shared with Tohru, urged on by both the biting cold and by the thought of seeing his girlfriend after a long day at the dojo.

_Girlfriend. My girlfriend, Tohru. Tohru, who is my girlfriend._

Over half a year later, and the thought still made him giddy.

As he rounded the corner of the building, he was surprised to find Tohru standing outside their door. Usually, she would’ve been home for at least an hour before Kyo arrived. She smiled and gave him a stilted wave of her fuzzy pink mittens. When he got closer, he realized her hair was damp. In fact, looking her up and down, he realized all of her clothes were damp as well.

“W-w-welcome home!” she said through chattering teeth.

“What the hell happened?” He dropped his duffle bag and grabbed her around the waist with one arm, and with his free hand began digging into his pocket for his keys. She trembled against him, and he tightened his grip and ran his hand roughly up and down her arm as he fumbled with the lock.

“Well,” she began, “I was walking home from work, and I decided to take the long way through the park--you know, the path that goes along the river?”

“Oh, no.”

She ducked her head. “Yeah…” When he got the door open, Kyo grabbed his bag and pulled her inside. He peeled off her icy, soaking wet mittens and brought her hands up to his mouth to blow hot air against them. “I was walking, and I thought I saw a turtle by the water. So I went to get a closer look, and… I guess there must’ve been some ice on the ground, and, well…”

Kyo smiled against her fingers, even as he shook his head. “And I take it you lost your keys?” Her entire face was red, either from the cold or the embarrassment, or both, and she nodded. “Did you lose your phone, too?”

“No, but…” She pulled it out of her pocket and showed him the dead screen. Her eyes, which had already been rimmed with red, began to fill with tears. “I’m sorry, I can’t believe I was so stupid!”

He took the phone from her and, without a glance, tossed it onto the nearby counter. “Don’t worry about that. Hey.” He tilted her chin up so that she met his gaze. “Wiggle your fingers and toes. Anything feel numb?”

Sniffling, she shook her head. “Well, maybe my toes are a little numb.”

Kyo put his hands on either side of her head and pressed a kiss to her brow. He cringed at how cold and clammy her skin felt. “I’m gonna run a bath for you. Take all your clothes off.” He kicked off his shoes and hung his coat by the door before heading into the bathroom.

When he returned to the entranceway, he found Tohru in the same spot where he’d left her, folding her leggings, still shivering, and still wearing her blouse and skirt. Her damp clothes clung to her figure in a way that Kyo would’ve quite enjoyed, under normal circumstances. He could hear her teeth chattering.

“Hey, I told you _all_ clothes off. You’re gonna catch a cold like that.”

“B-but--”

Kyo didn’t wait for her to finish. He took the leggings and tossed them next to her dead phone, then pulled her soaking wet blouse over her head and let it drop to the floor.

“Eep!”

“Come on.” He was certain that his face was as red as hers, but he tried to sound nonchalant. “I’ve seen you naked plenty of times.”

Tohru covered her face. “I know, it just… feels weird in the kitchen.”

“I mean…” Kyo’s stomach did a little flip as he recalled a particularly unproductive baking session last month (or _very_ productive, depending on how you looked at it).

Tohru’s eyes widened, likely recalling that same event. She giggled into her hands; her eyes were still watery, but at least she was laughing. “Oh. Right.”

Groaning, Kyo grabbed her by the shoulders. “All right, bathtime, now. Before you turn into a popsicle.” He marched her towards the bathroom, unhooking her bra as they went and letting it fall off of her. “We’ll clean up later!” he said, as she opened her mouth to protest.

By the time they reached the bathroom, she was fully naked, clutching her hands against her breasts, though not shivering as badly; the steam from the bath was turning their tiny bathroom into a sauna. Kyo scooped her up and set her slowly into the bath. She sucked in a sharp breath at the sudden temperature change but quickly relaxed, and as she sank further into the water, she let out a low moan that reverberated straight down into the pit of Kyo’s stomach.

“This feels amazing,” Tohru murmured before dunking her head fully underwater.

As she resurfaced, sputtering, Kyo flicked a tiny bit of water towards her face and smiled. “Way better than taking a bath in a freezing river.”

She pulled her knees up to her chest. “I’m sorry I lost my keys… and broke my phone…”

The way her voice drifted, the way she wouldn’t meet his gaze--Kyo knew her thoughts were going someplace dark and self-deprecating. He gently knocked his fist against the crown of her head, and her eyes widened and turned towards him. “Stop worrying,” he said. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Tohru’s lips pressed into a thin line as she made a poor attempt to fight back more tears. Sighing, Kyo settled onto the floor and grabbed the washcloth that was floating in the bathwater. He pressed it against her neck and began to rub it in slow circles against her skin. Of course, Tohru was perfectly capable of washing herself, but he knew she wasn’t going to be relaxing any time soon without a little help.

Before long, her huddled shoulders settled, and she let her limbs float in the water as she leaned into Kyo’s touch. “Feel better?” he asked.

She nodded and bit her lower lip. “Only…”

He paused his movements. “What?”

She gave him a sheepish smile. “You didn’t kiss me hello.”

That smile, her words, the easy affection in her voice, they etched themselves into his heart with all the other moments he swore to never forget. With his hand still holding the back of her neck, he leaned forward and kissed her: not the quick peck they sometimes had to settle for in the morning on their way out the door, but the slow, soft kiss of coming home.

When he finally pulled away, he brought his other hand up to cup her cheek, running his thumb over her barely parted lips. Her eyes were still closed. “How about now?”

Tohru smiled and nodded. “Much better.”

“Good.” Kyo stood, but not before kissing the tip of her nose. “Take your time. I’ll go make you some tea.”

“Mm, thank you.” She leaned her head back against the tub, and just as Kyo was feeling good about leaving her alone, she shot back up. “Wait, what about dinner?”

He put his hand on top of her head and pushed her back to her original position. “We have leftovers, remember?”

“Oh. Okay.”

When she closed her eyes again with a peaceful smile, Kyo finally decided he could leave her alone without having to worry about her stumbling out of the bathroom, naked and dripping wet, trying to start on some forgotten chore. It was a real fear: after all, she’d done something similar when she caught a bad cold a few months ago.

The memory of it resurfaced as Kyo was filling the tea kettle, and he couldn’t help but smile. He certainly hadn’t found it amusing at the time, but the image of her stumbling out of the bedroom with one leg in her pajama pants and a damp rag still on top of her head, muttering about folding the laundry, was definitely funny in hindsight.

His smile soon faded. Tohru had always protested at first when being told to take a rest, but he and his relatives had never had too much difficulty convincing her in the end. It felt to him, now that they were out on their own, that she was putting up way more of a fight in these situations.

In the time it took for Kyo to make tea and heat up their dinner, he heard Tohru leave the bathroom and walk into their bedroom. She emerged soon after in a fresh pair of leggings and an oversized sweater. She beamed up at Kyo as he handed her a teacup.

“How are you feeling?”

Tohru lifted the cup to her face and took a long breath through her nose. “Warm and cozy, thanks to you!”

Kyo brushed aside strands of damp hair that hung over her shoulder. “Good. Go sit.” He jerked his chin towards the kotatsu in the adjacent room. “I’ll bring our food.”

“You don’t have to--”

His scowl was enough to cut her off, and she turned and walked into the next room without further protest.

He followed her not long after, and after setting down their plates, he did not take his usual spot but instead dropped down behind Tohru. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. His long legs went easily around hers beneath the kotatsu’s warm blanket.

“Kyo? Aren’t you going to eat?” She placed her arms over his.

“In a minute.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “You know… I was the one who asked you not to work so much. I _wanted_ this.”

He felt her back stiffen against his chest, and that, along with any lack of protest, told him that his words had struck true. He let out a long sigh, burying his face in her hair. It smelled like coconuts this month--she’d started buying whatever shampoo was on sale.

“I…” He could feel Tohru twisting her hands as he heard the quaver in her voice. “I know, it’s just… you also said it was my choice, and… I wanted to pull my own weight. I didn’t want you to be the only one working. But when the only job I could find was so few hours, I thought… it must be better than nothing, right?”

Kyo tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her as close as he could. He thought back to that conversation they’d had months ago, just before they’d left Shigure’s house, when he’d told her that she didn’t have to work if she didn’t want to. That he could cover their expenses on his own. Of course, his pay wasn’t _amazing_ , but it was enough to get by if they lived modestly. Maybe it wouldn’t be the sort of lifestyle that he wanted to give her, but she’d never ask him for anything more.

“But you still feel guilty,” he said against the top of her head. “Because I work a few more hours than you do.”

She must’ve given up on stifling the tears, with how her voice trembled. “But you’re always so tired when you come home! And then you still want to take care of me on days like today, and I just… I shouldn’t be causing more work for you!”

Hearing her cry was like a knife in the chest. He put his arm under her knees and rearranged himself so that he could set her sideways in his lap. He used his sleeve to wipe away her tears, like he’d done on a rooftop one night long ago. “You’re always tired after you mop the floors, right?”

The question startled her enough to stop her crying, at least for a moment. “Huh? Um… I suppose so, yes.”

“And since you’re tired afterwards, does that mean you resent having to do it?”

“Of course not!”

“That’s how it is for me. Yeah, I’m tired. And I never thought, in a million years, that I’d get to come home tired after a day of doing work that I love.” He ran his knuckles across her cheek, wet with fresh tears. “That I’d get to come home tired to someone I love.”

Tohru threw her arms around his neck with a sob.

He rubbed her back and planted a kiss in the crook of her neck. “So don’t feel bad for me, because I’m happy. And if you want a different job, then I’ll help you find one. Just don’t feel like you have to be working all the time. And if you’re not feeling well, then let me take care of you.” He felt his cheeks grow hot. “Because I like taking care of you.”

She sniffled even in the midst of her laughter. “You’re really good at it.” She sat back so she could look at him, placing her small hands against his chest. “Thank you for keeping me warm.” She kissed him, slowly, and even when they paused to breathe, she didn’t move away.

They sat there, entwined, while their dinner grew cold behind them. Dinner could wait. Everything else could wait. Every brush of Tohru’s soft lips with his own, every breath against her mouth, every touch he gave her came with a promise, to her, to himself, that he’d keep her warm for the rest of his days.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, this is scary! I don't think I've ever written for this fandom before. I have bigger stuff I want to write with these two, so this was sort of a trial run. Hopefully I did okay!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!!


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